


Accidents Happen

by Pearl_Unplanned



Series: Cap_Ironman Bingo 2015 [16]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Cap_Ironman Bingo, Getting Together, M/M, Stony Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 19:03:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5754679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Unplanned/pseuds/Pearl_Unplanned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of course it's when Steve's <i>finally</i> worked up the courage to ask Tony out, he has to go and unlock the clearly locked lab... The project that Tony had been working on has some rather <i>interesting</i> effects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accidents Happen

**Author's Note:**

> For the Cap_Ironman Bingo prompt 'accidents happen'. Why does this always seem to happen when I write things? More prompts have been completed in the past two months and are on the way to being posted before the deadline! Most are done, just not posted.

 

            "You can do this," Steve encouraged himself quietly, standing outside the door to Tony's workshop. He took another deep breath, trying to find the confidence that he normally would've had any other day than today. It wasn't like he pictured how to say this, how to ask Tony out, a million times in his head, because he had. He'd spent far too long thinking about it, and it wasn't until Steve realized that he was driving himself crazy when he came to the conclusion that he _really_ needed to just ask Tony out already.

            If he said it, if he _asked Tony_ , then no matter what Tony said, maybe he'd be able to concentrate again.

            Nervous sweat trickled down Steve's forehead as he reached for the doorknob. His hands felt cold and clammy, but his heart was beating strong, so he opened the door. Or, rather, he _tried_ to open the door.

            Locked out. Why did Tony even bother locking the door? He'd given Steve access codes when Steve had first started hanging out in the lab with him. Punching in the code, Steve listened for the _click_ of the door being unlocked before he opened the door and walked in.

            Tony was concentrating on what he was working on so much that the world must've disappeared a long time ago. His eyes didn't even flicker over in Steve's direction. The man probably had no clue that he'd even walked into the lab. Using the couple of seconds on the walk over to stand beside his friend to gather his confidence, he started repeating _you can do this_ in his head.

            "Hey Tony," Steve said cheerfully, hoping that the genius would be happy to see him.

            Now, the only problem with sneaking up on Tony was that he didn't always realize that it wasn't a villain who was sneaking up on him. One time Tony had been so startled that he'd thrown one of his tools at Steve, who luckily had been holding his shield at the time or else he would've gotten pretty hurt.

            This time, like all other times when he should've said something long before he actually walked over, Tony jumped about half a foot into the air with a startled noise escaping him. He turned around quickly, but whatever he had been working on... it errored, because there was a loud noise and a sudden amount of smoke. It looked like danger to Steve, which set him into motion, moving himself between Tony and the machine as quickly as he could before a loud _boom_ echoed throughout the lab.

            When Steve opened his eyes, he immediately recognized that something was wrong. Tony was on the ground, knocked backward by the force of the blast, but he was sitting up now. With all of his worry on Tony right now, hoping that he was okay, Steve didn't really notice what was wrong with _him_ until he tried to check on Tony.

            "Are you okay? Tony, Tony answer me. Are you hurt, did the machine hurt you?" Steve asked.

            Tony groaned and looked over at him. Brown eyes widened, and Tony's mouth dropped open in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do this, it was an accident! I told you not to come in while I was working on some project that I locked the lab for, and I _know_ that I locked the door! You should've warned me, I would've been more careful!"

            "What are you talking about?" Steve asked, unsure of what Tony was talking about. This wasn't the first time that he'd come into the lab when it was locked, and it wouldn't be the last.

            "I'll get this fixed, Steve, I promise," Tony continued, and he still had this scared, nervous look on his face. "You... can still understand me, right?"

            Steve tilted his head. Why wouldn't he be able to understand Tony? "Of course."

            That was when he noticed what was wrong. Tony... looked a lot bigger than he should have, and... Steve glanced down at himself. So _that's_ why he'd been on all fours. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. This wasn't strange, the Avengers dealt with stuff like this all the time.

            "Steve?" Tony asked quietly, and Steve focused solely on him so that he didn't have to panic about what was going on. "Steve, do you trust me? Do you trust me that I'll be able to figure this out?"

            Steve took a deep breath and nodded. So much for asking Tony out on a date. Tony breathed a sigh of relief, and before Steve knew what was going on, the brunet scooped him up into his arms and hugged him tight. That's when Steve realized exactly how small of a dog it was that Tony had accidently turned him into. And yet Tony was hugging him, and that made him happy, which made his tail start wagging like crazy. Tony just chuckled and stood up, placing him down onto the table.

            "Okay, so you're probably going to want an explanation for why this happened to you. So I was working on this matter-changer, and I didn't want to test it out on _you_ of all people, but that's what happened," Tony said, running a hand through his hair. "I... I didn't get the effects to stabilize yet, so there's a _very_ high chance that you..." Steve could, oddly, _smell_ how stressed Tony was right now. "You might change form again. Like, there's a ninety-nine percent chance you might turn into something else. And then... how long this is going to last..."

            "It's okay Tony, I know you'll be able to figure it out," Steve said. He wished that Tony could understand that, but all the man heard was some barking.

            "Ah, I'm sorry, I know this is a mess," Tony said, and he was frowning. Steve frowned--why did Tony think that he'd be mad? Steve whined and tried to scoot towards him, but there wasn't any farther forward that he could move.

            "I'll figure out how long its effects are going to last," Tony said quickly. "Until then, I really can't have you in the lab, because I don't want you to get any more hurt or in any more trouble than you're already in, so I'm going to take you upstairs and explain what happened to the team, okay?"

            Steve nodded and jumped to his feet. He looked over the edge of the table, wondering how far it would feel like if he jumped down to the ground, but Tony got to him first, snatching him off the table.

            "Steve, you're a _tiny_ dog, you can't just jump off the table! What if you broke something important?" Tony said quickly. "You can understand me, right?"

            "Yes," Steve said quickly.

            "Okay, okay. One bark is yes, two barks is no, and... we'll figure this out," Tony sighed, moving his arms under Steve to make him more comfortable. It should've been annoying that his tail wouldn't stop wagging, but truthfully it wasn't that bothersome. Plus Tony didn't seem to mind when he snuggled up against his chest, so... That was surely a plus.

 

            "So you turned Cap into a dog?" Clint asked. The Avengers were all gathered in the living room. Clint had just stopped laughing, Natasha still looked amused, and Bruce had a small smile on his face. " _Why?!_ "

            "It was an accident," Tony said. His face was red, and he was biting his lip. Steve was sitting on the couch between Bruce and Natasha. "I had the door locked, and I didn't realize that he'd walked into the room, and... now he's a dog."

            "A Pomeranian," Bruce commented. "You look healthy to me, Steve. Tony, how long do you think this is going to last?"

            "Not having our leader could be dangerous if we're called out on a mission," Natasha commented.

            "A week," Tony said, and Steve could hear how regretful he sounded. "I'm not really sure on this yet, but I think it's going to be about a week, and there's a ninety-nine percent chance that he's going to change at least one more time, though it's more likely that it'll happen several times. And, uh, I don't know how to fix it. Or if I _can_ fix it, or if it'll just finish its course in about a week."

            "I'm fine with waiting," Steve offered, forgetting again that he couldn't speak to his friends anymore.

            All eyes were suddenly on him, and Steve looked around at them.

            "You okay, Steve?" Tony asked quietly.

            Remembering what Tony had told him before, Steve barked once, and his fluffy tail started wagging again.

            "Good." Though, Tony didn't sound like everything was all too 'good' with him right now. Steve tilted his head and watched him.

            "Well," Tony said, rubbing the back of his head as he stood up. He smelled nervous. "I'm going to go see if I can get the effects to be reversed sooner, or if it could actually take longer than a week. I just can't have Steve in the lab, because I can't work _and_ keep an eye on him. So, uh, can you guys watch him for me?"

            "Of course," Bruce said, and the others nodded. Tony stood there looking awkward before he glanced at Steve then hurried off towards the lab. Steve watched him leave, a slight dog-like whine escaping him.

            "You can still understand us, right Cap?" Clint asked, and Steve barked _yes_ at him. "So, do you think like a dog or like a man?"

            Steve stared at him, unsure of how to answer that question. Of course he felt like a dog, he _was_ a dog right now, and his head was full of canine instincts. But he was still himself, right? Instead of answering, he just tilted his head to the side and whined.

            "Um... both?" Clint guessed, and so Steve answered _yes_ to him. "Okay, good. Guys, I'll keep an eye on him. You can go do whatever you need to, I'll watch Cap."

            Steve grinned, and his tail was wagging beyond his control again. He barked at Clint before hopping off the couch and following him. Until Tony came out of the lab, there was no way that he'd be able to be around him whatsoever, so he might as well go find out what Clint wanted to do. He'd just have to stay busy until Tony found a way to fix this.

 

            "Steve?" Tony murmured sleepily when he heard a quiet whimper. He looked across the room and saw the little Pomeranian in the doorway, tail between his legs, eyes wide and scared. Tony was about to ask him what was wrong, but then lightning flashed in the window, and a loud _boom_ of thunder crackled in the air. The tiny dog looked like he wanted to just disappear.

            "You okay, buddy? Bruce told me something about dog instincts..." Another loud _bang_ of thunder the caused another pitiful whimper from the tiny dog. "Oh. Thunder, dogs, doesn’t mix. You scared? Come on over here, you can sleep on my bed if you want."

            The moment he said that, the tiny dog raced across the room and jumped up onto the bed, almost flying through the air, before the bundle of cream fur crashed into Tony's arms. He was shivering and shaking, so Tony held the little dog close, hugging him until he stopped shaking.

            "It's okay, I've got you," Tony whispered, running his fingers through the pup's long, plush fur. The small dog snuggled up against him and licked at his cheek. Tony smiled.

            "So, lots of accidental dog instincts, right? And you really wouldn't care about sleeping in my bed? I mean, we're friends and all, but..." Tony shrugged. He knew that Steve was uncomfortable with his flirting, so he'd stopped it a while ago. Hopefully Steve wouldn't care about this. After all, it was just because the thunder was causing his dog instincts to make him scared. Steve wasn't really afraid of a little thunder. Tomorrow night, Steve would be back in his own bed, Tony was sure of it.

            Steve made a quiet noise and curled up, resting his little puppy chin on Tony's chest. Tony pulled the covers partially over him and started stroking his fur to try and calm the dog down. Apparently Steve was one of those dogs that liked being scratched behind his ears, because he just about _melted_ onto Tony, completely relaxed. He couldn't help but feel at peace with the tiny dog sleeping on his chest.

 

            In the morning, Steve was still a dog, there was no more thunder, and he was still on Tony's chest. Though, this time he wasn't asleep. When Tony opened his eyes, he saw the face of a happy little pup. Steve yipped quietly at him, his plush tail wagging like it was attached to a motor. Tony smirked, reaching a hand up to pet the little dog. Steve barked again, louder this time, and the brunet carefully pushed the dog off of him so that he could sit up.

            "Why are you waking me up so early?" Tony groaned. It was around seven in the morning, and he wasn't ready to be awake yet. Steve barked at him once more, walking in a tiny dog circle before he sat down and stared at Tony.

            "You..." Tony frowned, thinking. "You want to go on a walk?"

            Steve jumped up and yipped happily, wagging his tail. He raced forward and started licking Tony's face, making the genius laugh.

            "It's way too early," Tony muttered, yawning. "Go on, go find that leash. I'm not allowed to take you around the city without a leash on."

            The little Pomeranian paused for a moment, like he was unsure if Tony was serious or not, before he charged out of the room over to where Tony had left the leash. Tony groaned and pulled himself out of bed, finding some nice clean sweatpants and a t-shirt. He had just finished pulling the shirt on when Steve came running back into the room, his little dog nails clicking on the floor. The leash and collar that Tony had gotten for him were held firmly in his mouth.

            "Wow, that was fast," Tony said, another yawn escaping him. He leaned down and took the leash from Steve, slipping the collar onto the tiny dog. Steve tugged hard at the leash, causing Tony to get pulled forward very suddenly. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Man, you're a bossy puppy, Steve. I'm not going to be running with you, but I will take you on a nice walk, okay?"

            Steve barked and wagged his tail, pulling Tony right out of the room.

 

            "It's a lot easier when he's sleeping," Tony murmured, and Steve didn't feel like telling Tony that he wasn't exactly sleeping at all. After a long and exhausting day as a dog--which was a very surprising thing to say--Steve was happy to just rest on Tony's lap while the genius tried to figure out if there was a way to fix the situation sooner. In one hand he held a tablet, and his other hand scratched behind Steve's ears.

            "Dogs have a lot of energy," Bruce pointed out. Steve had seen him earlier with a tablet, trying to help Tony out. "I still can't believe that you took him out _all day long_. I never knew that you'd do that for him."

            "I think he's thinking like a dog too much," Tony mumbled, stroking his fur. Steve wanted to wag his tail, but he didn't want his friends to know that he was awake. "And what do you _mean_ by 'I never knew you'd do that for him'? Because you should know that I'd do anything for Steve. I... I didn't _mean_ to turn him into a dog."

            _I know you didn't,_ Steve wanted to tell him. He wanted to comfort Tony, but he also wanted to hear what he had to say when he thought that Steve wasn't listening.

            "I owe him that much at least," Tony said, sighing. His fingers continued to rub behind Steve's ears. "I... yesterday morning, I was working on the matter-changer because I can't figure out how to..."

            "How to what, Tony?" Bruce asked, and Steve wondered if Bruce knew about the fact that he was still awake.

            "...how to ask him out on a date. But I don't even know if he's _interested_ ," Tony whispered, and Steve knew that he definitely wasn't supposed to hear that. "But then I turned him into a _dog_ , and probably several other things before the week's done!"

            "I'm sure he understands that you didn't mean for this to happen," Bruce said. Steve wished that he had a way to say that he agreed, and that he wasn't mad about any of this.

            "Steve _always_ understands. He's just a great guy like that," Tony said with a sigh. "He's always been such a great guy... a great friend. That's why I don't want to mess anything up between us."

            "I doubt you'd mess anything up," Bruce said, and Steve guessed that he must've known he wasn't asleep.

            _You won't mess anything up,_ Steve wanted to say. _That's exactly what I needed to hear. If you only knew that I was trying to ask you out that day..._

            "So _why_ exactly were you making a matter-changing ray?" Bruce asked, curious.

            "Because if I'm doing something interesting, like trying to create a matter-changer, than it takes my mind off of things that have been bothering me, like the fact that I can't talk to Steve without daydreaming about him," Tony muttered, and for a second his teammate stopped stroking his fur. The petting resumed, and Tony's voice got quiet again. "Do you think we could talk about something else? I don't want to wake Steve. If anything, I'd rather tell him about my feelings for him when he's _not_ a fluffy little dog."

 

            There wasn't any thunder that night, yet Tony found himself getting followed to bed by the little ball of fur. He shouldn't have been surprised at Steve's energy level--especially since he was a super-soldier, which probably somehow transferred over to his canine form--but it still wore him out.

            "Time for bed," Tony groaned, crashing down onto the soft sheets. He felt like he could just lay there and be perfectly content. He barely even spent much time in the lab, but he was fine with that.

            Tony glanced down at the tiny dog who was sitting on the ground beside his bed. Raising an eyebrow, Tony asked, "So are you coming up here or what?"

            The Pomeranian’s fluffy tail wagged quickly as he jumped up onto the bed, curling up right on Tony's chest.

            "If that's where you want to sleep..." Tony murmured, placing a hand on Steve's back. The little dog turned his head and licked Tony's wrist, tail still wagging as he settled down to sleep.

            A smile graced Tony's lips. There was something about this that just felt... familiar. If he could go to bed with Steve beside him every night, no matter what form either of them was in, he'd be happy. But that was a far-off dream that Tony didn't think would ever come true. Regardless, Tony decided that living in the moment was probably the best thing to do in a situation like this.

 

            The next day, Steve was still a dog, he was still waking Tony up early in the morning, and this time, Tony was completely fine with it. Going out on a morning stroll, spending some time in the lab, taking Steve to the park... everything felt so normal. Tony guessed that his 'he's going to change form' estimate must've been off. Way off. Until the next morning.

 

            Tuesday had been a bad day because he accidently turned Steve into a dog. Friday, though, had been a worse day.

            Because he was right. Steve did change again.

 

            When he woke up, Tony reached out for the fluffy Pomeranian that had been making his bed a normal sleeping spot. Tony wasn't exactly sure how Steve was able to fall asleep with his head on the arc reactor, but apparently he'd gotten used to the sound it made. Tony knew that _he_ had.

            Upon reaching out for the dog, though, his fingers weren't met with silky soft fur. Instead, his fingers slid over something cold, soft, smooth and... _scales?_

            Tony's eyes shot open, and he would deny to the grave the high-pitched scream that escaped him upon seeing the bright green snake just centimeters from his face. The snake was curled up on his chest, tail flickering, bright blue eyes watching him with curiosity.

            Breathing still ragged, Tony was surprised to find that the snake _didn't_ just bite his neck and kill him.

            Where was Steve? What if this snake was _poisonous?_ What if it _hurt Steve?!_

            And then everything clicked. Glad that he'd been too scared to move so that he didn't throw the snake or something, Tony asked carefully and quietly, "...Steve?"

            The snake's head bobbed, tiny pink tongue swiping out every now and again.

            Tony breathed a sigh of relief and laid back down. "Okay, so I said before, you may... change... sometimes. I think I liked you better as a dog. As a snake, you kind of freak me out."

            A quiet _hiss_ made Tony hold his breath. He stared at Steve, eyes wide with fear, before Steve quickly stopped hissing and tilted his head to the side.

            "I think you're poisonous," Tony said, slowly reaching a hand over to the snake. "Please, _don't_ bite me." He brushed a few fingers over the snake's scales, amazed by the pale blue color between the scales. "Yeah, I'm going to have to figure out what kind of snake you are. I know you were acting like a dog before, but please try _not_ to act like a snake. I don't want to have to lock you up, but I will if I have to."

            Steve bobbed his head again before he slithered around Tony's shoulder and neck. Tony sat up, still a little worried about having a _snake_ wrapped around his throat, but it was very loose and Steve didn't seem to be trying to strangle him.

            "Okay, so... Tuesday. You should be back to normal by the end of Tuesday," Tony said, running his fingers across the smooth scales again. "Until then, just remember that I'm your," _crush_ "friend, and don't bite me. Or anyone else. Especially not if you're highly poisonous."

            Clint had the same reaction as Tony when he brought Steve into the kitchen. The snake seemed quite comfortable on his shoulders, so Tony didn't bother moving him. Plus, if Steve was curled up around his shoulders, then he wouldn't be sitting on a couch or under a pillow somewhere where someone might step on or _sit_ on him. When startled, there was a chance that he might accidently bite someone.

            Steve was a highly poisonous snake. A rare, endangered, venomous species of snake only found in Honduras, though his eyes were still as blue as ever, just as Steve's eyes always were. Though his eyes did have those slitted snake-eye look, Tony could still recognize the shade of blue known to him as 'Steve's Eyes Blue'.

            "He was a lot cuter as a dog," Natasha commented, handing Tony a cup of coffee.

            "He's a lot deadlier now, be careful," Tony warned, grinning as he took a drink of the steaming coffee.

            "She's not the one with a poisonous snake wrapped around her neck," Clint pointed out.

            Tony glanced over to the side when he felt the vibrant blue and green snake nuzzle against his cheek. He smiled and petted the snake's head with two fingers. Steve didn't seem to mind, instead he leaned against the gentle touch.

            "Just keep an eye on him," Natasha said, and Steve's gaze followed her as she walked over to the door. "No one wants to accidently step on him if he's left on the floor. This isn't going to be the last change, is it?"

            "Probably not... I'd guess at least... two more?" Tony said. "Sorry buddy." He patted Steve's head again. "At least you shouldn't be a snake for the next few days. Maybe you'll go back to being something small, cute and fluffy so that I don't have to worry about getting my neck bitten by something very deadly, and frankly, kinda creepy."

            If snakes could look pathetically sad, this one did. Tony instantly felt a wave of guilt crash over him--he didn't _mean_ to make Steve feel bad!

            "You _are_ pretty cool, though," Tony said quickly. "I doubt you would've frightened anyone as a tiny dog, but _now_ people are really going to notice. It's like how you appear like a lovable puppy on the outside most of the time, but when you go on a mission, you're as dangerous as a snake."

            Snake-Steve still looked pathetic, but not as much so. Tony brought a hand up to brush across his scales, but that's when the genius noticed how _cold_ he was.

            "You're _freezing!_ I need to get you a heat lamp," Tony gasped, and so one was on its way to the tower, to be arriving in half an hour.

            "Until then," Tony decided, flipping the television on as he crashed down onto the couch, "I'll just have to keep you warm myself."

            There was no way that Steve could be cold now. Tony was laying on the couch, the poisonous snake curled up on his chest, just under his shirt, with two fluffy blankets on top of them. It was surprising how normal it felt to feel the little snake tongue against his chin.

            "I promise, things will get easier," Tony murmured, glad for the background noise of the television. "There aren't too many days left, right? It's been two and a half... That means only four and a half left. Four, truly, if you count this far as 'half a day'. Hopefully the whole 'snake' thing won't last too long, because it's still kinda freaking me out. If you could just go back to being a dog again, I'd be happy with that. Or a cat. You'd make a good cat. Snakes just freak me out a little."

            The bright green snake nuzzled against Tony's chin as he searched the internet for information about how to care for Steve as a snake--what kind of environment he was supposed to be kept in, what kind of food he was supposed to eat and how often. Anything that he could find. Steve seemed to be pretty content just lying there with him.

            When the heat lamp and cage arrived, Tony got it all set up so that if he wanted to, he'd easily be able to get into the cage to where the heat lamp was, and then easily be able to get out, too. While it was set up in the living room, Tony made sure to have an extra heat lamp ordered for the bedroom, too, if Steve wanted to stay in his room with him again.

            "I think I should just walk around with Steve on my shoulders and see how many weird looks I get," Clint said.

            Steve had been the one who'd thought of the whole 'team dinner' idea, and he was the one who enforced the fact that everyone needed to sit down and attend at least for a little while.

            "I don't think that would be a good idea," Bruce said. His eyes were watching Steve as the snake slithered across the table. "He was acting like a dog after being a dog for too long, so if he started accidently acting like a snake... he's highly poisonous, Clint. It's just not a good idea. Okay?"

            "Fine," Clint muttered. "Guess you're right. How long is he going to be a snake?"

            "No idea," Tony sighed, arm stiffening a little when the poisonous snake started climbing up onto his shoulders. "Hopefully not long. I'd rather he just turn back now, though, because having to spend a week as one of various animals _has_ to suck."

            The way that snake-Steve pressed against his neck made Tony think that he was agreeing.

 

            "So, do you want... to sleep in the cage with the heat lamp, or do you want to join me again?" Tony asked. "Or, you know, I could put the cage in my room, just in case... Hmm?"

            _"Yessss,"_ Steve hissed, angry that he still wasn't able to talk, but now it was even worse because when he tried to, it was distorted. _"I want to ssstay with you."_

            "I'm going to take that as a 'move the heat lamp to my room so you can stay with me', seeing that you've been there for the past several nights," Tony said, and Steve grinned when the genius patted his head. Steve had this strange feeling that he was going to be shapeshifting again. He was just hoping that this time it wouldn’t be a deadly reptile again.

            "Let's just get it all set up here," Tony murmured, setting the cage down. Steve stayed curled up around Tony's neck and shoulders, hoping that Tony wouldn't make him leave. He really liked being around Tony, and while he was sure that his feelings were mutual, and that when he was human again Tony would _definitely_ agree to a date with him, he didn't want to leave his side. He felt... strangely overprotective, and he wasn't quite sure why.

            "So... you're staying then? Judging by your lack of movement... I'm going to get you off my shoulders, I don't want to accidently squish you or something. So, uh, don't bite me..." Tony carefully unhooked Steve from his shoulders, and the snake wrapped his tail around Tony's wrist, not liking the fact that he was being held in the air. "Sorry," Tony murmured again, sliding into bed. He placed Steve down onto his chest, and Steve quickly curled up, enjoying the feeling of his friend's body heat.

            "This will all be over soon, I promise... This was the last thing I'd ever wish upon you, Steve. I want you... to be happy, and not... an animal. I want you to be human again, but... a few more days, and you'll be human again," Tony whispered, and Steve relaxed when the genius started stroking a few fingers over his head and down his back. While he didn't exactly enjoy being a snake, this actually felt so _nice_...

 

            There was an immense pressure on his chest, and for a moment, Tony thought the arc reactor was failing on him. He had no idea _why_ the reactor would be failing him right now, and he was almost worried that someone had _removed_ it. That is, until he opened his eyes.

            When he opened his eyes, it felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. Laying with its _gigantic head_ on his chest was the biggest lion that Tony had ever seen. His fur was a bright gold, and his mane was so dark it was almost black. There was a low, rumbling growl coming from the big cat, and for a second Tony was worried that the beast was awake and ready to kill him. But then he realized that its eyes were closed, and it was _snoring_ , not growling at him.

            Then it clicked. "Steve?" Tony whispered, hoping that he wasn't wrong. "Is that you, buddy?"

            One large, blue eye of the huge lion opened up, pupil narrowing and focusing on him. For a second Tony was worried--maybe Steve wouldn't recognize him this time, maybe Steve would end up _attacking_ him this time. The lion lifted his head, tilting it to the side, before the beast leaned down and licked Tony's face, the lion's tongue rough against his cheek.

            "Good, you're still in that big, fuzzy head," Tony said, patting the large feline on his snout. "Off you go, pal, you're crushing me."

            Steve's eyes widened, and he scrambled backward. The big cat ended up tumbling off the bed, and he looked so much more like a little kicked puppy than a huge, ferocious beast.

            "I didn't mean it like _that_ ," Tony laughed, rolling out of bed. God, when Steve stood up, his shoulders were all of the way to Tony's waist. He was _huge_. "You weren't _actually_ crushing me, you're just _really_ heavy right now."

            The lion shrugged as well as he could.

            "I never thought 'lion' would be on the list of things that you might end up being turned into," Tony murmured, patting Steve's head. "So, uh... hungry? I could definitely find something in the fridge... cooked or uncooked, I don't really know how you'd want it. But I am definitely not ordering something live for you, sorry, but _that_ would be disturbing."

            Steve nodded in agreement. His head was low to the ground, and it just looked so out of place. Lions should _always_ look proud, but this one definitely didn't.

            "C'mon, let's go scare Clint again. Will that cheer you up?" Tony asked. "Because you look like you need some cheering up, and I like watching Clint scream. So come on, let's go."

            Steve grinned at him, and Tony realized that by now it wasn't even freaking him out anymore to see some sort of dangerous animal with a toothy, predatory grin.

            Tony was glad to be right when Clint _screamed_ upon having a gigantic lion walk right up to him in the morning. What made it better was that Tony _knew_ Clint wasn't a morning person, so he was always going to be half-asleep, and he would never really remember the fact that Steve still wasn't human again just yet.

            "You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," Clint muttered, settling down in a chair with a steaming cup of coffee. "How many days left?"

            "Probably about three," Tony replied. "One or two more changes, probably, depending on how long Steve's going to be a lion. He could stay like this for quite some time."

            "I actually hope so. Lions are pretty cool," Clint said, grinning. "If anything happens, Steve could _totally_ help us in a battle."

            "Don't give him ideas," Tony said, crossing his arms. Steve looked over at Tony, a hopeful look on his face. "No Steve, you're not going out into battle with us. Lion or not. Clint, don't give him ideas, because if you tell him that he _will_ follow you!"

            Steve yawned and turned his attention back to the big plate with the steak on it. Tony watched him for a moment as the big lion sniffed at the meat, like he was unsure if it would taste good, before he starting ripping it apart with those huge teeth of his. Tony looked over at Clint and noticed that he was watching Steve, too. Only not with fear anymore. No, Clint was watching him with a childlike amazement.

            "You know, when I was a kid, I joined the circus," Clint said. "It's where I learned how to shoot better. But during that time, I got to meet all kinds of people and work with all kinds of animals. When I was eleven, I got to be the performer who got to show the crowd how fearless he was by sticking his head in a lion's mouth. And let me tell you, Steve, you're something else. All the lions I worked with look _tiny_ compared to you. You're the real deal, man. The real king of the jungle."

            Steve grinned, looking very pleased with himself. Tony rolled his eyes.

            "You don't want to make _his_ ego bigger than mine, Clint," Tony chuckled.

            Clint laughed. "I don't think that's _possible_ , Tony."

 

            "Steve, are you going to settle down, or are you just going to continue pacing all day?" Tony asked. Steve glanced over at him, having to turn his entire head just to be able to look at Tony. The genius didn't understand. There was something that was going to happen soon, he just wasn't sure what it was. He just couldn't sit still! What if something happened, and he wasn't prepared for it?

            Steve shook his head and went back to 'pacing'. What Tony didn't know was that he was guarding him. He was just trying to make sure that nothing bad happened to Tony... he was feeling overprotective again. Tony was _his_. His territory. No one messed with his territory, because he was the leader of the pride. No one challenged his rule, and he kept his pride safe.

            "Whatever you say. I'm just going to have to stop watching you, 'cause you're making me dizzy," Tony muttered. Steve wandered over to Tony, pressing his big, cat nose against Tony's arm. Tony grinned and patted his head. He wanted to purr when Tony scratched behind his ears, but he forgot that he couldn't purr. Tony jumped backward a little at the growling noise. Butting his head against Tony's shoulder, Steve wanted to tell Tony to continue doing that, not to stop. Stopping was the wrong decision.

            "Forgot you couldn't purr, you only growl," Tony laughed, and he went back to scratching behind Steve's ears with both hands. Steve's growl-purr got louder, and his tail flicked happily back and forth. Being a lion was a bit exhausting--he knew why lions slept all the time, their bodies just wore them out. He spent most of the morning napping on the couch with Tony and Clint. Clint had been telling stories about when he was in the circus, and Steve loved listening to them, but he had just been so tired...

            Steve stiffened, feeling that 'something's wrong' feeling again. Frowning, Steve wandered around the couch again, stalking around Tony, unsure of what was wrong.

            Something was about to happen. He meow-roared at Tony, looking at him before motioning with his head towards the kitchen. Something was happening, he could feel it.

            "Steve?" Tony sounded confused, but Steve turned and headed over to the kitchen when he was sure that Tony was following him.

            Something felt _off_. He wasn't quite sure what, but it felt... Steve's eyes widened when he realized what was going on. He was about to change again.

            Opening his mouth, ready to roar and get Tony's attention, Steve felt something inside pinch up and _change_. He didn't have a chance to make any noise.

 

            While he wasn't sure _why_ Steve wanted him in the kitchen, Tony could definitely guess. The big cat must've been hungry again by now, so feeding him before he got cranky was probably the best decision. But seriously, there had to be someone else in the kitchen who could handle this. Tony watched, confused, as Steve suddenly went rigid, his large, lion jaws parting open as his eyes focused on Tony.

            Before either could make a noise, Steve was suddenly just... _gone_.

            "Steve?" Tony gasped, looking around, not sure of what just happened. He hoped that Steve hadn't just been turned into something microscopic, or some sort of insect...

            There was a slight _flop-flop_ noise as Tony hurried over, catching sight of the tiny fish on the ground. "Steve!"

            Tony scooped the fish up into his hands as carefully as he could before he raced over into the kitchen. "Someone, _please!_ I need a glass of water _now!_ "

            Luckily, Bruce was standing there with a cup in his hand that he quickly filled with water and held out for Tony. The genius dropped the fish into the glass, watching as he sank, then twirled through the water and swam up in a few quick circles, like he was trying to figure out what was going on.

            "Steve, you're okay. You're safe. You... you just turned into a fish, okay buddy? No more air for you, you need to stay in the water," Tony said, gently taking the glass from Bruce.

            "When did he change? Right now, in the middle of the day?" Bruce asked, looking confused. "Every other time it's been during the night."

            "Time must almost be up," Tony mumbled, setting the glass down onto the kitchen table. Getting down so that he could be eye to eye with Steve, he whispered, "How do you feel, Cap? Still hangin' in there?"

            He wasn't really sure what kind of answer he should be expecting from a fish, but he shouldn't have been so surprised upon not receiving one.

            "I'll get a huge tank, and I'll fill it with all the best, most patriotic stuff for you, Steve," Tony murmured, biting his lip.

            "Actually, Tony? He's a betta fish," Bruce said, observing the fish. "Bettas don't need big tanks, they do much better in smaller ones. One of those generic fish bowl ones should be completely fine, especially if this isn't going to last too long."

            Tony was barely listening to Bruce, all of his concentration was on the little fish in the cup. He had to admit, Steve was a stunning fish. A white base with red and blue decorating it in such a beautiful way. His huge betta tail fin reminded Tony of the stripes on a flag, alternating between red and white. Eyes of a familiar shade of blue stared at him, unblinking.

            "Tony? Are you listening to me?" Bruce asked, a little impatient.

            "Yeah, yeah, small tank..." Tony mumbled, watching fish-Steve stare back at him.

            "You know what? I'll go get some fish food at the store, since you don't look like you're going to be moving anytime soon," Bruce said. "And Tony? If you're having a staring contest with a fish, the fish will always win."

            "Ha ha," Tony muttered, but he still couldn't take his eyes off of Steve. By now the fish had lost interest in staring at him and instead was circling in small, lazy circles around the glass, as if trying to find more room. "Don't worry Steve, there will be more room soon, I promise."

            Fish-Steve stopped circling the tank and instead stared at him. Tony wished that he was able to talk with Steve better, but he wasn't. At least as a dog, or a _lion_ , he could actually nod or make some sort of noise that was semi-helpful in figuring out what he wanted to say, or what he might be thinking.

            "So... at least this is better than an insect, right? I mean, if someone had swatted at you... you would've been so vulnerable. But now, you're going to be protected by a layer of glass and water, and I'm going to be guarding you twenty-four seven until you either turn into something else, or you turn human again. Okay? I'll keep you safe," Tony murmured, pressing a finger to the glass, making sure he didn't tap at it. What if it hurt fish-Steve's ears? Did fish _have_ ears?

            "Where's kitty-Cap?" Clint asked as he wandered into the kitchen, not even glancing at Tony as he went straight for the fridge. Tony moved to the side so that Clint would be able to see the glass that was on the table. He cleared his throat, catching the archer's attention. Clint's face lit up, and he started cracking up. "Oh man, is that Steve? Poor Cap! And here I thought that he'd had the worst of it with the whole snake thing. Don't worry Cap, it won't be long now. Right Tony?"

            "Right," he replied. It wouldn't be long before Steve was back to normal, and Tony could stop guilting over the fact that he'd turned his best friend into several different animals.

            Fish-Steve didn't answer, he just swam in a few more lazy circles around the cup.

 

            The world looked _very_ strange from his current angle. The glass itself was distorting everything, making shapes and colors bend around at weird angles, and the water was muffling everyone's voices, making them all sound strange. But that didn't matter, though, because he was safe, and he was with his team. He trusted Tony when the genius said he'd keep him safe. The glass was a little cramped, not as much as he would've thought, but at least he could _breathe_ again.

            Changing from a lion to a fish was a _huge_ change, and Steve was glad that he didn't die when he hit the ground. He suddenly hadn't been able to breathe, and he couldn't _see_ anything other than colors and shapes, and everything was so _loud_... But then Tony was holding him and letting him _breathe_ again.

            Everything was wet. He could breathe, but everything was wet, and he wasn't sure why.

            Tony's voice was so distorted by the water, and while Steve tried to get out of it, it was only when he was in the water that he was able to breathe. What had happened? Why couldn't he figure out what happened? It wasn't until he tried listening harder when he realized what had happened.

            A betta fish? He was a _fish?_ Well, that made sense to why he could only breathe in water, and why he wasn't able to even try to communicate. So instead of communicating, Steve just tried to focus on watching Tony, Bruce or Clint, whoever happened to be closest at that given moment.

            This was going to be difficult. He wanted nothing more than to assure Tony that he was okay, but he wasn't sure how to do that. He couldn't make any noise, there wasn't much room, but it wasn't bad that there wasn't room, because he didn't need it. Eventually he tried to swim to the right to say 'yes', and swim to the left to say 'no'. He wasn't exactly sure if Tony was understanding that system or not, but it wasn't like he could really ask that, because he couldn't _say_ anything.

            Time passed very slowly in a glass container when he was actually able to focus. It seemed that when he wasn't able to concentrate, time passed very quickly. It didn't seem like a long time before Bruce brought a fish tank home, and suddenly he had a lot more room to swim around in. And he really did try to concentrate on their conversations--Bruce and Tony were definitely talking about how long it might be before he was normal again, or other science things that he couldn't understand, especially when he couldn't concentrate on it.

            And then he was able to concentrate again when Tony lifted the tank and moved it to the left. Steve, fully concentrating now, watched as Tony and Bruce started setting plates down at the table, and Steve was _shocked_ to find that apparently it was dinnertime. What happened to the past three or four hours? Tony seemed to notice that he was paying attention again, because Tony grinned at him and started telling him what time it was, and how he guessed that it wouldn't be too long before he shifted again. Steve was glad.

            It wasn't long before Clint and Natasha joined them at the table, and Steve figured out exactly how fish eat food as the team enjoyed dinner. Thankfully they were kind to him and had chicken that night, which Steve appreciated, because he wasn't sure how it would feel being a fish and watching his teammates... Steve shivered at the thought.

            "Steve, I'm going to bring you over to my room, okay? That's where you've been the last couple of nights, so I'm just going to assume that you're fine with it," Tony said as he lifted the tank, ever so carefully. Steve watched the world pass by him in a swirl of colors as the tank was carried out of the room and over towards Tony's room. If it wasn't so disorientating, it would've been very beautiful.

            Steve couldn't deny that he wasn't too fond of being stuck as a fish. At least with all of the other animals, he was able to have some sort of physical contact. But now he was separated from the world by a stupid layer of glass, and he hated the feeling so much. Being surrounded by water just made him think about when he was frozen in ice, but having the team around was enough to remind Steve that he wasn't frozen again.

 

            It was late that night when Tony was still lying in bed, wide awake, waiting for something to happen. He wasn't even sure if something _would_ happen, he just wanted to be prepared, just in case. He was only worried because fish-Steve had been swimming around in fast, endless circles around his tank for the past hour, and Tony was worried that it might be him saying "I think I'm going to change soon." But if he changed and he was still in the tank, something bad could happen to him. He could drown. But what happened if somehow he got out of the tank but didn't turn back in time and died like _that_ instead?

            Regardless, Tony was worried.

            "Just give me a little warning before you change, okay Steve?" Tony murmured, though he still wasn't expecting an answer. Sometimes it seemed like fish-Steve was much more fish than Steve, and he'd just stare endlessly into space like a fish, or he'd just swim in circles. Tony knew when it was Steve though, because Steve would follow him or one of their teammates around the room, always keeping an eye on someone, like he was trying his best to pay attention to conversations and what was going on. It must've been difficult for a fish, and Tony was surprised that he was _ever_ able to think as an animal, because their brains were so different from human brains.

            Fish-Steve slowed down to just floating in the water. Tony glanced over at him, confused, before suddenly he swam even faster than before. Tony sat up in time to watch the red, white and blue fish propel himself from the tank fly through the air. With his fast reflexes, Tony was just _barely_ able to catch the fish before he could hit the ground. Tony was about to drop the fish back into the tank when suddenly he wasn't holding a fish in his hands anymore, he was holding a very damp cat.

            The poor cat looked pitiful. His long ginger and white fur was drooping and wet, whiskers falling under the weight of the water droplets.

            "Let's get you dried off," Tony murmured, wrapping some spare blankets around the kitten, gently drying his fur. The entire time, the kitten's purr was rumbling as loud as a motor. Once the kitten was dry, the feline attached himself to Tony's shirt with his little claws.

            "It's okay, I won't make you leave," Tony said, scratching behind the kitten's ears. Steve's purr somehow got louder, and when Tony let go of him to lie down again, the tiny cat crawled up underneath his shirt and settled down on his chest, making sure not to lie on the arc reactor. Tony was grateful and resumed stroking the kitten's soft fur.

            "It won't be long before you turn back, Steve, I'm sure of it," Tony murmured. "How long has it been? Four days? Five days? Seven is the maximum, so it shouldn't be too long before you're back to normal. And once you're normal again... then life will resume, okay? Everything can do back to the way that it used to be... won't that be fun? I mean, I guess I'll miss having some cuddly or not-so-cuddly animal here to keep me company every night, but it won't be too hard to go back to sleeping by myself again."

            Kitten-Steve opened his tiny, pink mouth and meowed at Tony. Unable to know what he was saying, Tony just went back to petting the little cat, who seemed very pleased. Having Steve as a constant companion was nice, but the thought of him not being there anymore... Once he was back to normal, he wouldn't be following at Tony's side like a puppy, or constantly staying with him. Steve would go back to living his life like he had been before. And while Tony would be glad to have the super-soldier wandering down to his lab to sketch and talk with him, it wouldn't be the same... During the past few days, Steve had been acting like he wanted to be around Tony a _lot_. He followed him around and spent the day by his side, and Tony was definitely going to miss that.

 

            "Okay, so you can't just cling to my shirt all day and pretend you can get away with it," Tony murmured. "I've got something that I want to do in the lab, and it's no place for a little kitten, Steve. You're too tiny, and you can get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt."

            Kitten-Steve just purred like he didn't understand a thing that Tony was saying, and Tony couldn't help but grin at the little feline.

            "I could watch him for a while," Bruce offered, handing Tony a can of kitten food. "He doesn't look like he's young enough to still have to be bottle-fed, so canned food should be enough. If he looks like he's struggling with it, even if he pretends that he's not, then tell me and I'll order some kitten formula."

            "Can do," Tony said, opening the can before placing it on the table. Getting the can open was the easy part, disconnecting the fluffy kitten from his shoulder, now _that_ was the hard part. Eventually Steve did let go when Tony brought the canned food up next to him and let the tiny feline sniff it for a moment. He seemed to realize how hungry he was, so he disconnected all of those thorn-like kitten claws from Tony's shirt and let himself get placed down onto the table.

            Kitten-Steve purred the entire time he ate the kitten food, and when he was done, he looked like he was going to fall asleep.

            "Think you _could_ watch him for a while?" Tony asked, and Bruce nodded.

            "I'm not doing much right now, and he looks tired. I don't think it'll be an issue at all," Bruce said, smiling when he heard that Steve was still purring.

            "Good. Then I'll leave him with you, and I'll be back," Tony said, patting kitten-Steve's head before he headed over to his lab.

 

            Steve yawned and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. A hand gently stroked down his back, and Steve glanced over, seeing Bruce. The scientist smiled at him, and Steve rested his kitten head on Bruce's leg again. Being a kitten was a lot more tiring than he expected. Kittens slept _so much_ , and Steve found himself getting overly tired. He wanted to go with Tony to the lab, but he understood why he couldn't. And he really did try to listen to what Bruce was saying to him, but... the more his friend pet him, the less he could pay attention, and it wasn't long before he just passed out.

            "Tony seemed really hopeful that this was going to be the last transformation," Bruce said. "After this, the next time you change should be back into a human."

            "Good," Steve purred, knowing that Bruce wouldn't be able to understand him. "I want to be human again."

            "There was a reason why you were in the lab that day, wasn't there? Because when Tony says that the doors were locked, I believe him," Bruce said, and Steve purred, rolling over and letting the doctor stroke his belly fur. "I think you're going to need to talk to Tony when you're back to normal."

            "I plan on it," Steve purred, curling up against Bruce's leg again.

 

            "You know, I'm going to start getting used to you sleeping in the bed with me," Tony murmured, stroking the kitten's fur as Steve curled up on his collarbone. "If you continue to do this, then you're going to have to come back each night. Okay? You still understand me, right?"

            Steve-kitten's purring started up again, and Tony couldn't help but grin. So Steve did understand him. Maybe Steve _would_ come back again, then, since he didn't seem to be going anywhere right now. At least, he hoped that Steve still understood everything that he was saying. He really did enjoy having Steve following him around all of the time, or refusing to leave his side. It would be a bit sad when Steve turned back, because while he'd have his friend back again, he wouldn't have a constant companion anymore, because there was no easy that Steve would continue to follow him once he was back to normal.

            The next few days passed far too quickly. Tony wasn't able to spend a lot of time in the lab, because he wanted to spend as much time as he possibly could with kitten-Steve. As a kitten, he was a lot more playful, and someone (Tony suspected Clint) had left out some cat-nip, which had made the poor kitten hyper. It had taken hours to calm him down, but by the time that he did calm down, the poor kitten passed out. He'd still been purring when Tony took him over to the couch and settled down with the little kitten asleep on his chest, on hand draped over his back.

 

            Tony groaned, feeling a large weight pressing against him. He hoped that it wasn't because Steve had shifted into something large again. Opening his eyes, he noticed a very human Steve lying across him. Thankfully he was completely clothed in what he had been wearing when he'd first been turned into a dog. Tony could feel a blush crossing his face.

            "Steve? Hey, time to wake up, Steve," Tony murmured, gently shaking his friend's shoulder. Steve's hair was a wild bedhead of blond curls. There was a large smile that crossed his face as he took a deep breath, waking up. His eyes stayed closed, and he nuzzled his head against Tony's chest. "Tired," he murmured, and pressed his face against Tony's chest again.

            "You're crushing me, buddy," Tony chuckled, though he could honestly stay like this for quite a while longer. If Steve just shifted to the left a little, Tony could definitely stay like this all day. Having Steve cuddled up against him just felt _right_.

            "Mmm... I can't be a lion _again_ ," Steve mumbled, and Tony watched as his baby blue eyes blinked open. He stared into Tony's eyes for several seconds before Steve reached his hand out in front of his face and flexed his fingers. It wasn't until then when he seemed to realize that he was human again, and suddenly his face turned bright red as he tried to sit up.

            "Sorry," Steve squeaked, and Tony just grinned because it was _so adorable_.

            "Hey, no problem here," Tony said. "Just move a little to the left and I'll be fine."

            Steve stared at him, like he was trying to figure out if Tony was telling the truth or not. Then he shifted to the left and asked, "Like this?"

            "Perfect," Tony said. He smiled at Steve, who still didn't look convinced. "Seriously. It's really early, and I don't want to get up yet, so if you want to keep using me as a pillow, I'd be fine with it."

            Tony was a little surprised when Steve actually settled down again. He had a feeling that Steve would politely decline and then flee the room, but he _didn't_ , and Tony was pleasantly surprised. Steve rested a hand across the arc reactor, and Tony was surprised that he didn't feel freaked out by it. He normally did, when someone touched the reactor. But he trusted Steve, and he had fallen so hard for the super-soldier.

            "You know that day... about seven days ago?" Steve mumbled, and Tony blushed when the blond nuzzled his head against his chest again.

            "Yeah... I _am_ sorry about that, Steve. I mean, I told you that multiple times, and I really hoped that you could always understand what I was saying..." Tony sighed. "It was my fault. I really shouldn't have even tried making a matter-changer."

            "I think it's a cool idea," Steve murmured. "And anyway, it's my fault, because the door was locked and I walked in anyway with those codes you had given me. But there was a reason that I was in the lab that day. I didn't think you were doing anything more than some repairs or something, so I wanted... I wanted to ask you out to dinner sometime."

            "You wanted to... what?" Tony asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

            "Dinner... or something else, if you'd prefer. I'd... I'd like to take you out on a date," Steve said, looking over at Tony. He kept his head rested on Tony's chest, like it was completely normal. "I always thought that I'd take you out on a date before I slept in a bed with you, but I'm thankful you didn't mind a little furry companion for the past few nights. Or, uh, a scaly companion, when I was a snake and a fish." Steve grinned. "Those two were the strangest. I couldn't think well as a fish."

            "You want to take me out on a date," Tony stated. He still couldn't believe it. There was no way that Steve was actually asking him out on a date.

            "Well, that's my intent," Steve said. "But if I'm completely off on this, tell me. If you're uncomfortable with this, then I don't have to be snuggling with you if it's unwanted."

            "Oh no, the snuggling is definitely okay with me. And a date would be wonderful... I was just shocked," Tony said, relaxing. "I... I wasn't expecting that you would ask me out. I thought you were _straight_. You got all awkward when I was flirting with you, so I stopped."

            "I got awkward because I've had a crush on you for a long time now... I thought you just lost interest in me or something, so I decided that maybe I should ask... But then we got caught up in the whole matter-changer thing," Steve murmured, a smile spreading across his face. "No matter though. We've only been delayed a week. How 'bout we just stay here for a while, and later one when we're both more awake, then we can go do something else... You did fix the machine, right?"

            "Um... I mean, it's mostly done," Tony mumbled, shrugging. "Why do you ask?"

            "Well, what if Clint's up in the vents again, or Bruce is in your lab while you're not, and... someone else gets changed?"

            "That's not going to happen."

            It wasn't like it _couldn't_ happen. No one had exactly seen the machine, besides himself and Steve.

            "You're right," Steve murmured, settling down again. "And anyway, if it did happen, it would only be for a week."

            "Three days," Tony corrected. "I got it down to three days. When I'm done, it'll be whatever amount of time I want, with as many changes to specified creatures as I want."

            "Oh... that could actually be pretty helpful," Steve murmured. Tony just grinned and snuggled back up against the super-soldier. Everything was completely peaceful for several lone, happy moments, before a clicking noise made Tony open his eyes again. On the back of the couch, staring at him with a very annoyed look, was a large red-tailed hawk.

            "Clint?" Tony whispered, and the hawk screeched at him. Groaning, Tony pressed his face back against Steve. "It's too early in the morning for this."


End file.
